Why can't people in US watch Al Jazeera?

Post by gaius » Sun, Jan 30, 2011, 9:37 PM UTC

varjag wrote: post #134

gaius wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is possible to be both anti-Israel and anti-Russian, y'know. The idea that the BBC is any more "truthy" than any other news source is laughable; they're all run by humans after all. And the BBC recruits most of its staff through one route, the media section in the Guardian, which no-one would claim is anything other than a left-wing paper. It could, for example, balance it out by recruiting 50% via the Graun's big…

Right. They are also taking turns at being anti-Sudanese, anti-Iranian, anti-Indian and anti-US. Just pick your preference. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_the_BBC

Post by rdtsc » Sun, Jan 30, 2011, 11:12 PM UTC

jacobmg wrote: post #152

rdtsc wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think there is a double standard that is being applied and it is rationalized and back-propagated from a knee-jerk reaction to a perceived criticism of Israel. All of the sudden statistical significance and probability distribution come in to play. I doubt it if New York times wrote an article about 3 or 4 racially motivated attacks in New York and wondered if there is resurgence in racism, if everyone would accuse…

>> I think there is a double standard that is being applied and it is rationalized and back-propagated from a knee-jerk reaction to a perceived criticism of Israel. >> All of the sudden statistical significance and probability distribution come in to play. You've got it completely backwards of course. Asking for statistical proof of racism should be the standard , and the criticism should be of those who don't have t…

Post by jacobmg » Mon, Jan 31, 2011, 12:47 AM UTC

teyc wrote: post #153

jacobmg wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You really are mistaken. The hearsay of some hackernews posts amounts to zero evidence, while you can verify the legal equality of races in Israel in any decent book. Unless of course, you want to grasp at straws like another poster here and argue that semantically a Law of Return is racist (even though many acknowledged non-racist countries have the same laws) or Arabs having the option to opt out of the draft is ra…

Here is a general observation (not just about Israel). In places where race is an overt issue, and people at the highest political places earn their votes based on race, and therefore dependent upon people who are conscious of race rights, no amount of laws is going to stop a government from exercising racial preferences in its administration. Countries like Fiji is an example.

Post by jacobmg » Mon, Jan 31, 2011, 12:57 AM UTC

rdtsc wrote: post #164

jacobmg wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> I think there is a double standard that is being applied and it is rationalized and back-propagated from a knee-jerk reaction to a perceived criticism of Israel. >> All of the sudden statistical significance and probability distribution come in to play. You've got it completely backwards of course. Asking for statistical proof of racism should be the standard , and the criticism should be of those who don't have t…

I think we are both making different default assumptions. My default assumptions seem to be that there is rampant racism in the Middle East stemming for thousands of years of complicated history. You default assumption is that there is no racism in Israel. I don't mind if articles pointing out the racism do not have rigorous statistical studies, but you do, because your default assumption are that there is no racism.

Post by srean » Mon, Jan 31, 2011, 1:40 AM UTC

jacobmg wrote: post #167

srean wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, I would rather trust the first person accounts from people whom I have zero reasons to disbelieve. If you would look at my post I mentioned rights on traveling on the same street, equal rights on marriage etc etc. To give an example: between someone who toes the government line in repeating there arent any gay Iranians and an Iraninan who says he is gay, I would trust the latter. More so if I had other conversati…

You are just reciting the typical myths about racism/Israel. For example you mentioned road use discrimination, instead of that being any sort of discrimination based on race/religion, it is separation based on citizenship of PA or Israel. Arabs and anyone else who are Israeli can use these roads. To say that restriction from use based on different citizenship is discrimination is just laughable. As far as "marriage…

  Israel's High Court has narrowly upheld a law denying
  Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza married to
  Israeli citizens the right to live in the country with
  their spouses.  -- The Independent

  Government was more restrictive in issuing building
  permits in Arab communities than in Jewish communities,
  thereby not accommodating natural growth." 
  -- U.S. State Department Country Reports on Human Rights Practices

  3 times more money was invested in education of Jewish
  children as in Arab children. 
 -- U.S. State Department Country Reports on Human Rights Practices

  the Law of Return applies to ones religious status, and anyone can convert to Judaism.
 --jacobmg on HN (justifying religious discrimination)

  Palestinians who fled or were expelled from their homes
  by Jewish or Israeli forces, before and during the 1948
  Arab-Israeli war, but remained within the borders of what
  would become Israel, that is, those currently known as
  Arab citizens of Israel, are deemed present absentees by
  the legislation. Present absentees are regarded as absent
  by the Israeli government because they left their homes,
  even if they did not intend to leave them for more than a 
  few days, and even if they did so involuntarily